Dominion of The Beast Masters

Chapter 74: Breaking the Storm



The cave was silent except for the soft drip of water echoing in the background. All eyes were on Melcin. He lay there, bathing in his own vomit, tears, and blood, his body convulsing slightly, muscles twitching from the pain.

His face was a mess, blood streaking from his nose, bruises swelling across his skin, but his eyes... his eyes were what drew everyone's attention.

They twitched, flickering as if trying to focus, but there was no power behind them. His mind was awake, painfully aware of everything.

The humiliation, the overwhelming pain, the despair that wrapped itself around his broken body like a vice.

He could feel the weight of everyone's gaze, the judgment, the shock, and worst of all, the pity.

Tears rolled down his face, not in loud sobs but in silent streams, falling from his eyes unconsciously. He wasn't even aware of crying, his body too shattered to make any sound. His lips trembled, but no words came. Only the quiet, shaking breaths of someone who had lost everything.

Eratz turned away without another glance. He walked back toward Mercury and the kids.

The students shifted, their eyes wide with terror. None of them dared move, too afraid to do anything but watch.

Kenny, his face pale, crouched down, trying to make himself small, hoping to disappear into the shadows.

His heart raced as he tried to hide from Eratz's sight, if he was seen, he was dead.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

When Eratz finally reached Mercury, they exchanged a glance. Mercury broke the silence first. "You okay?"

Eratz raised an eyebrow, considering the question. He tilted his head slightly, as if checking in with himself.

"Surprisingly... yeah." His voice was calm, almost thoughtful.

"Good for you," Mercury replied, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Now take the kids."

Eratz blinked, surprised. He looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"Tag in," Mercury stood, cracking her knuckles, her gaze shifting to Melcin still lying on the ground. "What you did was for you. Now, it's Colin's turn."

Eratz's eyes widened in disbelief before a short laugh escaped him.

"You're serious?" he asked, amusement dancing in his voice. "You'll kill him, you know."

She smirked back at him.

"Not if Colin gets to him in time."

Their strange conversation hung in the air, the students watching in stunned silence. Some were confused, others horrified. The way they casually discussed Melcin's life like it was nothing was terrifying and fascinating all at once.

Kenny, his back still pressed against the cave wall, couldn't tear his eyes away.

Was this really the same Eratz they had known at Genova? And Mercury... she was even scarier than he had imagined, she was way, way too strong, and worse than all, she seemed to know Eratz.

Julian, beside him, couldn't move, his entire body frozen in shock.

Clara watched, her hands shaking slightly. She wanted to help Lisa, but she couldn't look away from the scene unfolding in front of them.

Eratz finally sighed, placing a hand on Mercury's shoulder.

"Let's not," he said gently. "Don't get his vomits on your fists."

Mercury hesitated, then let out a breath.

"I could use my shoes but... Fine, but only for now," she said, though her eyes lingered on Melcin a moment longer.

She leaned down to pick up Colin, gently guiding her back toward Eratz.

As they all settled back near the kids, the tension in the cave seemed to shift.

The immediate danger had passed, but outside, the thunderous cries of the birds could still be heard.

The fight between the two massive monsters raged on, their power tearing through the sky. Eratz glanced toward the walls of the cave, the sound of the battle outside never reducing. "I think the cave was created by the Terrakrus," he mused.

The air in the cave was thick with, but as Eratz and Mercury sat with Colin and Milo, the atmosphere slowly began to shift.

The distant sounds of the two colossal birds fighting rang through the air, each screech and crackle making the cave tremble.

Colin sat huddled close to Milo, her eyes wide with fear, while Milo held her hand tightly, glancing nervously between Eratz and Mercury.

Eratz glanced over at Mercury, who had the same intense look on her face, eyes narrowed in thought.

"They're still going at it," Mercury said, breaking the silence. "It's like... they don't even notice we're not out there anymore."

"Yeah," Eratz muttered. "They're more interested in tearing each other apart than anything else."

Mercury frowned.

"I've never seen anything like them. Not just the power they have but... the way they're

fighting."

Eratz leaned back against the stone wall, sighing.

"Yeah, they're not just normal beasts. They're something else entirely."

Mercury turned her full attention to him.

"What do you mean?"

"Those two," Eratz said, gesturing toward the ceiling, "they have names."

Mercury blinked in confusion.

"What? Like every monster, right?"

"No, real unique names," Eratz said, his voice low. "I saw it when we fought them. The lightning bird, it's called Raijinara. And the other one, the rain and wind beast, is

Zephyraquiel."

Mercury's eyes widened in surprise, the weight of what Eratz was saying starting to hit her.

"They have names? Like... like real names?"

Eratz nodded.

"Yeah, like Tom and Philippe, and that's not all. They're not just powerful, these things are on another level entirely. They're what's called 'Calamities.""

Mercury's jaw dropped slightly.

"Calamities? I've never heard of that rank. Are you telling me there are monsters even

stronger than what we know?"

"Apparently," Eratz said. "These two, they're not normal, they are the elements themselves. Raijinara is basically made of lightning, and Zephyraquiel commands storms like it's part of

the weather itself."

Mercury leaned forward, her fingers curling into fists.

"So... they're legendary beasts? Like nothing we've ever faced before."

"I'm sure that if the rare beasts appear with a rare tag, then a legendary beast would appear

with a legendary tag," Eratz answered. "Well, I'd be disappointed if I could hurt a legendary beast with one punch. But these two... it's like they've been locked in this battle forever, and

we just got caught in the middle."

Mercury let out a deep breath, processing this new information.

"No wonder they were so overwhelming. It wasn't just about us, they were tearing into each

other, and we just got in the splash zone."

Eratz nodded.

"And every time we tried to focus on one, the other would come in and knock us back."

Mercury's eyes sharpened as she thought back to the battle.

"It feel like every time I tried to get a good hit in on the water bird, the thunder one would

spill his rage on me, and his lightning is making it impossible for me to maintain my field spell."

"They complement each other," Eratz said. "That's the problem. We couldn't do anything because they were fighting as much against us as against each other. Whenever we made a

move, we were facing two storms at once."

Mercury's frustration grew, her hands tightening into fists.

"We can't keep fighting them like that. If we do, we'll just keep getting in the way of their own

battle."

Eratz leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"I've been thinking about that. They're stronger together because they're covering each

other's weaknesses."

Mercury rubbed her chin, her eyes narrowing in thought.

"So if we separate them..."

Eratz stared at her for a long moment, his mind racing with the possibilities.

"Separate them..."

For a moment, both of them sat in silence, the idea hanging between them, growing more and

more solid. Then, at the same time, their eyes widened, and they shot up from their seats.

"That's it!" they exclaimed in unison.

The students' gaze grew more troubled. Mercury let out a short laugh, shaking her head.

"We need to split them up. If we fight them together, we're done for. But if we can break them

apart, make them fight on their own, we can take them down."

Eratz grinned. "We need a plan to do that. Somehow, we have to make sure one of them is isolated and take

them down on one on one."

Mercury nodded, her eyes gleaming with the thrill of the challenge.

"And once we separate them, they won't be able to cover each other. the thunder bird's

lightning will be less effective against you, and the water one is my element."

Eratz stood up, his mind working through the strategy.

"But the question is, how do we pull it off? They would go full royal rumble on us if we get

close."

Mercury crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful.

"We need to wait for the right moment. When they're tired, when they're already worn down

from fighting each other, that's when we should strike."

Eratz nodded.

"And we use the terrain. We can use your field spells to manipulate the environment, create

barriers to keep them one trapped. Well, not the thunder one of course."

Mercury's smile grew. "Exactly. We can force them into separate areas, I trap the water one while you take on the

other farther away."

Eratz and Mercury looked at each other, their determination solidifying into a plan.

"It's risky," Mercury said, "but it's our best shot."

Eratz grinned. "Let's do it."